Aesop's Fables · Chapter
The Fox Without a Tail explained
A fox loses its tail in a trap and, ashamed of its appearance, tries to convince the other foxes to cut off their tails as well.
What happens
A fox loses its tail in a trap and, ashamed of its appearance, tries to convince the other foxes to cut off their tails as well. Another fox sees through the deception, pointing out that the advice is only given because of the fox's own loss.
Themes in this chapter
Cunning and Deception
The fox uses cunning to try to deceive the other foxes into cutting off their tails, masking his own shame as practical advice.
Appearance vs. Reality
The fox's advice appears to be for the common good, but in reality it is a selfish attempt to hide his own disfigurement.
Characters to notice
- The Fox
The protagonist who loses his tail and attempts to persuade others to cut off theirs out of shame and self-interest.
Key passages
“They’re ugly things anyhow, and besides they’re heavy, and it’s tiresome to be always carrying them about with you.”
The fox claims tails are unattractive, burdensome, and inconvenient to carry.
The fox uses false reasoning to persuade the others.
“My friend, if you hadn’t lost your own tail, you wouldn’t be so keen on getting us to cut off ours.”
Another fox points out that the advice is only being given because the speaker himself has lost his tail.
The other fox exposes the selfish motive behind the advice.